Today's Headlines: F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules

[Republican Tax Bill Faces New Uncertainty Ahead of Expected Vote]( | View in [Browser]( | Add nytdirect@nytimes.com to your address book. | [Unsubscribe]( [The New York Times]( [Most Popular]( | [Video]( | [Today's Headlines]( Friday, December 15, 2017 IN THIS EMAIL [NYT] [World](#worldNews) | [U.S.](#nationalNews) | [Politics](#politicsNews) | [Business](#businessNews) | [Technology](#technologyNews) | [Sports](#sportsNews) | [Arts](#artsNews) | [N.Y./Region](#nyregionNews) | [Movies](#dailyFeatureNews) | [Today's Video](#videoNews) | [Obituaries](#obituaries) | [Editorials](#editorialsNews) | [Op-Ed](#opinionNews) | [On This Day](#onthisdayNews) | [CUSTOMIZE »]( Top News [Ajit Pai, the F.C.C. chairman, said the rollback of the net neutrality rules would eventually help consumers because broadband providers like AT&T and Comcast could offer people a wider variety of service options.]( [F.C.C. Repeals Net Neutrality Rules]( By CECILIA KANG In a 3-to-2 vote along party lines, the agency scrapped Obama-era rules meant to protect an open internet. [A possible defection of Marco Rubio of Florida threatens the thin Republican Senate majority.]( [Republican Tax Bill Faces New Uncertainty Ahead of Expected Vote]( By ALAN RAPPEPORT and THOMAS KAPLAN As Republicans sprinted to get their bill across the finish line, they faced a new round of questions about whether they could generate enough support to pass the legislation. [Disney's chief executive, Robert A. Iger, is steering the company into streaming services to compete with Netflix, Apple, Amazon and Facebook.]( [Disney Makes $52.4 Billion Deal for 21st Century Fox in Big Bet on Streaming]( By BROOKS BARNES The acquisition of most of Rupert Murdoch's entertainment empire makes Disney a true competitor to services like Netflix and Amazon. For more top news, go to [NYTimes.com »]( [Get the Morning Briefing in Your Inbox]( What you need to know to start your day, delivered Monday through Friday. [Sign up »]( ADVERTISEMENT Editors' Picks [Ana Franklin, left, the sheriff of Morgan County, Ala., at her rodeo last year. She has become ensnared in a government investigation.]( U.S. [A Sheriff, a Mystery Check and a Blogger Who Cried Foul]( By WALT BOGDANICH and GRACE ASHFORD In Alabama, an official's use of public funds and behavior toward critics raise questions about the broad powers of American sheriffs. OPINION | Op-Ed Contributor [The G.O.P.'s Legislative Lemons]( By MICHAEL TOMASKY It's not just the tax cut or A.C.A. repeal: If the public opposes a law, you can bet the Republicans support it. Why? QUOTATION OF THE DAY "The pace of disruption has only hastened." [ROBERT A. IGER]( Disney's chief executive and chairman, on how shifts in viewing habits led to his company's decision to buy most of 21st Century Fox. [] Today's Videos [[Video] Video: What Is Net Neutrality?]( The F.C.C. voted to dismantle rules that require internet providers to give consumers equal access to all content online. Here's how net neutrality works. [Shimahara Illustration. Technology by Samsung]( [[Video] Video: See the New York City That Never Was]( Visit the New York City that could have been in this 360 video and explore the exhibition at the Queens Museum called "Never Built New York," showcasing hundreds of projects that could have dramatically changed the look of the city. [] World [Theresa May with her husband, Philip, outside 10 Downing Street in London the day after a general election in June. The vote, which she had called, left her in office but destroyed much of her political capital.]( [Theresa May, Once a 'Dead Woman Walking,' Reaches a First Finish Line]( By ELLEN BARRY Mocked for months as weak and robotic, the British prime minister has earned sympathy in Brussels - and some respite at home - by doggedly carrying on. [A wildfire in Azusa, Calif., in 2016. New research has analyzed 27 extreme weather events from that year for links to climate change.]( [How Global Warming Fueled Five Extreme Weather Events]( By BRAD PLUMER and NADJA POPOVICH Scientists analyzed 27 extreme weather events from 2016 and found that global warming was a "significant driver" for most of them. We look at five cases. [A baby born with microcephaly caused by Zika virus in a rehabilitation center in Recife, Brazil, last year. The most severely affected babies have little language or mobility and will likely require a lifetime of care, a new study shows.]( [As Zika Babies Become Toddlers, Some Can't See, Walk or Talk]( By PAM BELLUCK They are 2 years old, but developmentally they are 6 months old. The children most severely affected by Zika face a lifetime of care, new research shows. For more world news, go to [NYTimes.com/World »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] U.S. [James A. Fields Jr. has been accused of driving his car into a crowd of protesters in Charlottesville, Va., killing one.]( [White Nationalist Now Faces First-Degree Murder in Charlottesville Killing]( By HAWES SPENCER and RICHARD PÉREZ-PEÑA Prosecutors increased the top charge against James Fields Jr., who is accused of driving his car into counterprotesters, killing Heather Heyer [The Interior Department has been dogged by reports of harassment and intimidation in the last decade.]( [Thousands of Interior Dept. Employees Report Harassment and Intimidation at Work]( By EMILY COCHRANE About 30,000 employees took an Interior Department survey, and 35 percent said they were mistreated, the agency said in results released Thursday. [State Representative Dan Johnson, a first-term lawmaker and evangelical pastor, was accused of molesting a 17-year-old parishioner in 2013.]( [Kentucky Lawmaker Kills Himself Amid Sexual Assault Allegations, Officials Say]( By MAGGIE ASTOR Representative Dan Johnson, a first-term Republican, was accused of molesting a 17-year-old parishioner nearly five years ago at the evangelical church he led in Louisville. For more U.S. news, go to [NYTimes.com/US »]( ADVERTISEMENT [] Politics [Supporters of Roy S. Moore prayed at his campaign's election-night party in Montgomery, Ala., on Tuesday. Despite heavy backing from white evangelical voters, Mr. Moore was defeated in the Senate special election.]( [Has Support for Moore Stained Evangelicals? Some Are Worried]( By LAURIE GOODSTEIN Reflexive backing of divisive, scandal-plagued figures like Roy S. Moore, the Alabama Senate candidate, is hurting their movement's image, some evangelical Christians say. [Representative Blake Farenthold, Republican of Texas, is the fourth member of Congress in two weeks whose careers have been felled by allegations of sexual misconduct.]( [Blake Farenthold, Texas Congressman Accused of Sexual Harassment, Will Not Run Again]( By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG Representative Blake Farenthold, who settled a sexual harassment claim for $84,000, is the subject of an Ethics Committee investigation and will not run again. [Representative Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the House, has strongly endorsed the push for new hearings into accusations of sexual misconduct by President Trump.]( [With New Focus on Sexual Misconduct, Democrats Take Aim at Trump]( By CARL HULSE After purging some from their ranks, Democrats are intensifying a push to investigate the president over accusations of harassment and abuse. For more political news, go to [NYTimes.com/Politics »]( [] Business [Adam Tan, chief executive of HNA Group, sought to calm investor fears at a media event in Beijing in November. ]( [China's HNA Keeps Striking Foreign Deals as Banks Wince and Investors Flee]( By ALEXANDRA STEVENSON Executives at the deeply indebted conglomerate say it still enjoys support from lenders, even as bond prices fall and regulators raise questions. [The National Labor Relations Board reversed a ruling that gave unions more leverage to challenge the labor practices at fast-food chains and other franchise operations.]( [Labor Board Reverses Ruling That Helped Workers Fight Chains]( By NOAM SCHEIBER Newly under Republican control, the National Labor Relations Board changed the standard for holding a company responsible for a franchisee's practices. [A Teva factory in Hungary. The company, the world's largest maker of generic drugs, plans to close or sell a significant number of manufacturing plants in the United States, Europe, Israel and other markets.]( [Teva Pharmaceuticals to Cut 25% of Jobs in Huge Reshaping]( By CHAD BRAY The world's biggest maker of generic drugs has been squeezed by increased competition and lower prices and is saddled with a large amount of debt. For more business news, go to [NYTimes.com/Business »]( [] Technology [Why Net Neutrality Was Repealed and How It Affects You]( By KEITH COLLINS The Federal Communications Commission voted Thursday to repeal Obama-era net neutrality rules. Here's what you need to know. [A rendering of the renovated Detroit garment factory where Ford will base a team working on electric and self-driving cars.]( [Ford Chooses a Detroit Base to Take On Silicon Valley]( By BILL VLASIC The automaker, long absent from the city proper, will create a hub there for work on self-driving and electric cars. [A comparison of planets in our own solar system, bottom, with planets observed circling Keplar 90, a star more than 2,000 light-years from Earth. Scientists using artificial intelligence supplied by Google researchers just detected an eighth planet orbiting the star.]( Trilobites [An 8th Planet Is Found Orbiting a Distant Star, With A.I.'s Help]( By NICHOLAS ST. FLEUR A Google neural network analyzed data collected by NASA and helped astronomers detect another planet around a star some 2,500 light years away. For more technology news, go to [NYTimes.com/Technology »]( [] Sports [Bob Hurley, who won 28 state titles and more than 1,200 games at St. Anthony High School in Jersey City, is a coach without a team this winter. St. Anthony closed in the spring, but its demise hasn't kept Hurley out of gyms big and small.]( [The School Closed. The Players Left. But the Coach Can't Quit.]( By ADAM ZAGORIA The closure of St. Anthony High School in Jersey City has forced Bob Hurley, the school's longtime coach, to adjust to basketball as a consumer experience, not an occupation. [With Shohei Ohtani on their roster, the Angels might try a six-man rotation.]( [The Six-Man Rotation: Coming Soon, Maybe to a Team Near You]( By TYLER KEPNER The Los Angeles Angels, with Shohei Ohtani on board, are thinking about that option. Other teams are, too, in an effort to gain an edge. [Juan Arturo, left, playing a fictional version of Rafael Nadal in ]( [In a Play, Rafael Nadal Inhabits a New Role: Gay Icon]( By BEN ROTHENBERG Peter Gil-Sheridan, a gay playwright, imagines a love affair with Nadal in "The Rafa Play," which ends its run in New York on Saturday. For more sports news, go to [NYTimes.com/Sports »]( [] Arts [The Best Art Books of 2017]( By HOLLAND COTTER, ROBERTA SMITH and JASON FARAGO The Times's art critics select their favorite art books (and books about art) of the year. [From left, Jessie Austrian as Olivia, Emily Young as Viola and Noah Brody as Orsino in the Fiasco Theater's ]( [Review: Finding Serenity in a Tempest-Tossed 'Twelfth Night']( By BEN BRANTLEY Fiasco Theater's agreeable production of a much-performed play finds the clarity in a comedy of confusion. [A detail of Josef Albers's ]( Art Review [Homage to Mexico: Josef Albers and His Reality-Based Abstraction]( By ROBERTA SMITH A radiant Guggenheim exhibition grounds the proto-Minimalist abstract paintings of Josef Albers in the geometric grandeur of Mesoamerican monuments. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( Movies [Morgan Spurlock at the Critics' Choice Documentary Awards last year. Mr. Spurlock admitted to sexual misconduct and stated that he was ]( [Morgan Spurlock: 'I Am Part of the Problem']( By CHRISTINE HAUSER The filmmaker stepped down from his production company Thursday, after he wrote that he had engaged in sexual misconduct dating to his college days. [Bob Balaban in ]( [Review: 'Wormwood' Confirms That Errol Morris Is Our Great Cinematic Sleuth]( By A.O. SCOTT The American filmmaker chases down clues and tries to exorcise demons as he tackles the biggest case of his career. [Bill Pullman plays Lefty, a sidekick on a quest, in ]( [Review: The Sidekick as Hero in 'The Ballad of Lefty Brown']( By MANOHLA DARGIS Bill Pullman stars in this Montana-set western, which tips its cowboy hat to classics of the genre. [Review: 'Birdboy,' a Disturbing Animated Feature from Spain]( By A.O. SCOTT The movie has talking animals, but it's not necessarily for kids. For more arts news, go to [NYTimes.com/Arts »]( [] New York [Tony Manero Doesn't Live Here Anymore, but Disco Does, for One Night Only]( By JEFFERY C. MAYS The anniversary of "Saturday Night Fever," celebrated at the original disco where the movie was filmed, underscores how much Brooklyn has changed. [The tunnel that carries the L line between Brooklyn and Manhattan will be closed for 15 months starting in April 2019. A contingency plan envisions riders using other subway lines, buses and ferries.]( [New York Digests, and Dissects, L Train Shutdown Plans]( By SARAH MASLIN NIR With the contingency plan for the 2019 shutdown released, residents and city officials tried to figure out what their commuting future looked like. [Andy King, a Democratic councilman from the Bronx, is expected to go before the Council's Standards and Ethics Committee on Friday.]( [Inquiry Over Inappropriate Behavior Focuses on Bronx Councilman]( By J. DAVID GOODMAN The accusations of inappropriate comments by Councilman Andy King of the Bronx are expected to be presented at a closed-door hearing on Friday. For more New York news, go to [NYTimes.com/NewYork »]( [] Media & Advertising [Arthur Sulzberger Jr., the current publisher of The New York Times, and his son, Arthur Gregg Sulzberger, who will assume the job on Jan. 1.]( [A.G. Sulzberger, 37, to Take Over as New York Times Publisher]( By SYDNEY EMBER An author of the 'innovation report' will follow in the footsteps of his father, Arthur Sulzberger Jr., who served as publisher for 25 years. [Rupert Murdoch built his empire by following the motto ]( [Rupert Murdoch Is Having His King Lear Moment]( By AMY CHOZICK As he prepares to sell off much of 21st Century Fox, the 86-year-old magnate is testing the ties that bind the family-run fief. [Tavis Smiley, whose nightly talk show was pulled by PBS, its distributor.]( [Tavis Smiley Responds to PBS Suspension of Talk Show After Misconduct Allegations]( By MATTHEW HAAG The network said it had indefinitely suspended distribution of Mr. Smiley's nightly program after an investigation found "credible allegations" of inappropriate behavior against him. For more media and advertising news, go to [NYTimes.com/Media »]( []Obituaries [Anthony Harvey with Katharine Hepburn on the set of the 1968 movie ]( [Anthony Harvey, 'Lion in Winter' Director and Kubrick Editor, Dies at 87]( By NEIL GENZLINGER Mr. Harvey began as a film editor, filling that role on "Dr. Strangelove," but ended up directing Katharine Hepburn in several movies. [Stuart Evey, right, with ESPN's president, Bill Grimes, center, and the network's production chief, Scotty Connal, at company headquarters in Bristol, Conn., in 1982.]( [Stuart Evey, a Founding Force at ESPN, Is Dead at 84]( By RICHARD SANDOMIR Mr. Evey persuaded his bosses at Getty Oil to invest in the start-up sports network and then helped manage it as it took wing. [Vincent Nguini, far right, warming up before a performance with Paul Simon at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Vienna, Va., in 2016.]( [Vincent Nguini, Guitarist With Paul Simon, Dies at 65]( By JON PARELES Mr. Simon called the Cameroonian-born Mr. Nguini, a member of his band for 30 years, "the most creative musician I've ever worked with." [A banner bearing a portrait of Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman hung from a building in Bnei Brak, near Tel Aviv, during a political rally of ultra-Orthodox Jews in 2015. The rabbi died there on Tuesday.]( [Aharon Leib Shteinman, Ultra-Orthodox Leader in Israel, Dies at 104]( By JOSEPH BERGER The rabbi's influence was particularly felt when he reluctantly agreed that some ultra-Orthodox adherents should be eligible for Israel's military conscription. [Nobis being introduced along with other members of the Falcons' first team, from 1966, at halftime during a game against the Carolina Panthers at the Georgia Dome on Sept. 20, 2009.]( [Tommy Nobis, Star Linebacker and the First Falcon, Dies at 74]( By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Nobis, the Atlanta expansion team's No. 1 pick, had a stellar career playing for a losing franchise. He was cognitively impaired in later years. For more obituaries, go to [NYTimes.com/Obituaries »]( [] Editorial Editorial [Who Will Judge the Judge?]( By THE EDITORIAL BOARD Judge Alex Kozinski stands accused of sexually harassing his female clerks and other employees for years. [A house burned by Myanmar's military in a Rohingya village in Rakhine State in September.]( Editorial Observer [In Myanmar, Echoes of Past Horrors Are Amplified]( By MIRA KAMDAR Leaders appear indifferent to international condemnation of their ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] Op-Ed [Guns on the wall in the Newark Police Department's Ballistic Laboratory, which held a gun buyback in 2014.]( Op-Ed Contributor [How to Get Rid of a Gun]( By CAROL J. ADAMS Not everyone wants to keep their firearms. [President Trump looking at guests identified as ]( Op-Ed Columnist [Republicans Despise the Working Class]( By PAUL KRUGMAN Unless you own a business or live off assets, you're a second-class citizen in their eyes. [Thomas Mann at his desk in New York in 1943.]( Op-Ed Columnist [The Glory of Democracy]( By DAVID BROOKS Thomas Mann lays down some truth. For more opinion, go to [NYTimes.com/Opinion »]( [] ON THIS DAY On Dec. 15, 1916, the French defeated the Germans in the World War I Battle of Verdun. 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